Taehan

(Great Han), the name of the Korean state from 1897, when it was proclaimed an empire, until 1910, when it was annexed by Japan. The name is historically connected with the Three Hans, three large groupings of Korean tribes that inhabited the southern part of Korea at the beginning of the Common Era. When the Republic of Korea (South Korea) was formed in 1948, the name “Taehan” became part of its title—Taehan Minguk.